The Congress on Saturday welcomed the announcement of the Assembly poll schedule in Uttar Pradesh and four other states,with party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi saying that the ruling party at the Centre is raring to go. It (the Congress) is fit as a fighting machine. It will show yet again that it is the only pan-Indian party with a strong presence in every nook and corner of the country, he said. UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi claimed the winds of change blowing in UP are in the partys favour. The BJP too hailed the announcement of the poll dates. We are fully ready. As far as UP is concerned,BJP is looking for resurgent support of the people. In Goa,the corruption in the mining scam will undo the ruling party. In Punjab and Uttarakhand,we will of course come back to power, said Ravishankar Prasad. We will fight the elections in UP on the issues of corruption and crime which have increased manifold under Mayawatis rule, BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. However,the BJP said free and fair polls in UP are not possible till police officers and top bureaucrats are removed from key postings. The top police and administrative officials who have conducted themselves as spokespersons and agents of BSP should be removed from key postings. If this is not done they are likely to interfere in the poll process, Naqvi said. The Samajwadi Party also welcomed the announcement of the poll dates. We will not go for any alliance now. People of UP should give SP a majority, said party leader Akhilesh Yadav. In Punjab,Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said: Everything has gone as we wished. The political atmosphere in the state today indicates this will be the biggest victory of my career for the SAD and the BJP.
